March Previews: Close to the edge of extreme
From the intense to the extreme, we’ve released two pretty big previews from our March Outturn.  Enjoy the full release on Friday 1 March (Spring is finally in the air!)

24.124 Close to the edge of extreme
Speyside Spey
£71.00
The sherry influence dominated, almost overpowered the nose – layers of wood (cedar, polished furniture, varnished wood, wood-sap, salted peanuts, matchbox) and tons of treacle; plus toffee, tobacco, syrup of figs, leather, orange and gammon cooked in coca-cola. The unreduced taste was huge and mouth-drawing – a real ‘stoater’…
More

53.179 Jelly-fish onthe rocks
Islay
£68.80
The palate was a classic intense mix of sweetness and smoke – some tar, clean oil, macadamia nuts, smoked paprika and prawn tempura, with a long, liquoricy after-taste. The reduced nose introduced a powerful floral note (Little Shop of Horrors?) and a mineral element (our scientist-turned-blender remembered drying jelly-fish on rocks)
More

February Outturn

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm).

Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Whisky Tastings, Whisky Festival, Whisky Sale!

Carn Mor Ambassador tasting – Thursday 21st March 2013

A rare opportunity from Nickolls and Perks

Peter Mackay is a 2nd generation family member of the organisation that runs the Scottish Liqueur Centre in Perth. They independently age single malt whiskies under the Càrn Mòr label. Nickolls and Perks were lucky to receive slim stocks of these irreproachable malts into their Stourbridge store in late 2012 and now very much look forward to showcasing this unique selection for you.

How does an independent bottler go about choosing casks ?

Find out the answer to this question and taste the rare drams on 21st March with Peter Mackay in our tasting cellars here at the shop.

Start 7:30 pm. £25.00 inc VAT

NB : Saturday 13th April is the NEXT Midlands Whisky Festival -200 whiskies, Dream Drams, Masterclasses, discount vouchers and more!

Book now at www.whiskyfest.co.uk or at www.Nickollsandperks.co.uk  Cost £35 per ticket

And finally, check out the N&P Whisky Sale – ends 28th February!

Genuine savings – 15% off!

Click here for details

Ludo is back and full of energy (as you can see), we decided to publish these all at once rather than all 17 individually. Please click on the individual links to read the remainder of each article- WI

It’s cold in Dufftown

Today is my first day back in the office and what a drive it was (see the pictures below).

I had better head home soon!

PS – thanks Ian for braving the weather and taking these pictures – the next dram is on me!

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/01/its-cold-in-dufftown-2/

Grant’s YouTube Channel!

My friends in our marketing team have been working on a series of videos  dedicated to Grant’s. You can see  the first below with Gregor, our mixologist, demonstrating how to make the  perfect Grant’s Manhattan whisky cocktail.

A Grant’s  Manhattan is one of the  all time classic cocktails (Kent123, if you liked…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/01/grants-youtube-channel-2/

One from the archive – Grant’s delivered in the Philippines

I was speaking  to Paul, our company archivist, earlier today about a picture I came across in  an old book (see below). It shows an old car advertising Grant’s in the  Philippines.  The picture must have been taken only a few years after Charles Gordon started his journey around…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/01/one-from-the-archive-grants-delivered-in-the-philippines-2/

Grant’s internal rivalry (just a bit of fun!)

I was at our Girvan distillery yesterday and everybody kept talking about how the snow we had in Dufftown was nothing compared to the cold they had in Girvan. As a whisky ambassador (although admittedly not always a diplomat!), I thought I would ask a neutral crowd (you!) to be the judge. Their entry in…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/01/grants-internal-rivalry-just-a-bit-of-fun-2/

Grant’s cocktails anyone? 

I thought you might want to know that new videos of Gregor, our  cocktail mixologist, have been posted on our YouTube channel.

If you’re  soon to be entertaining guests or simply keen to perfect your cocktail making  skills, why not take a quick look at Gregor in action and pick up some useful

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/02/grants-cocktails-anyone-2/

Grant’s Whisky is now on Twitter!

Did you know that you can now follow Grant’s on Twitter?

For all you whisky enthusiasts, this is another chance for you to follow the latest news and information on Grant’s Whisky, as well as to share stories and experiences on all things whisky with your friends.

www.twitter.com/grantswhisky

The adventures of Mister ‘G’

I’m often asked where the idea for our famous  triangular bottle came from. I have heard many different stories but the one  below is my personal favourite.

‘The adventures of Mister G’ is actually part  of a series of print adverts which I believe were produced in the 1960s. I’ll  need…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/02/the-adventures-of-mister-g-2/

How much barley and wheat is there in a bottle of Grant’s?

Last week I was in London judging this year’s best whiskies for Whisky Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards. It was an excellent day as usual, with many extraordinary whiskies (particularly a Balblair single malt from 1975, which sadly, didn’t win the best single malt award, despite the 10/10 mark I gave it; never mind!) and…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/03/cereal-in-a-bottle-of-grants-2/

The adventures of Mister ‘G’…continued

Following on from my post  a few weeks ago on the adventures of Mister ‘G’ (which stirred up quite a bit of  interesting conversation, to say the least!),  I thought I would share the rest of the 1960s print adverts with you.

Perhaps not quite as  (ahem!) bold as the first…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/03/mister-g-continued-2/

A taste from the past – Grant’s Royal 12 Years Old (bottled in the 1980s)

The best thing about working in a distillery is that no matter which cupboard I open, I am likely to find a bottle of whisky.

As you might know, I am always very interested in our company’s history and particularly the whiskies we used to blend. You might remember the 18 Year Old Classic…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/03/grants-royal-12-years-old-bottled-in-the-1980s/

A new Grant’s whisky website! 

After recently  launching a YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter pages, we’ve been busy crafting a new website. Grantswhisky.com now features  videos of our Chairman, Peter Gordon,  our Master Blender, Brian Kinsman and  yours truly, which I hope won’t put you off visiting ;-). We take you inside the  Grant’s world…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/04/new-grants-whisky-website-2/

Grant’s live on TV in Canada 

I visited Canada at the beginning of the month and while on  a short stopover in Vancouver, I was interviewed live on the  morning TV news.  As is customary with these programmes, the interview was short but I still think many of you will find it interesting. It has now been…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/07/grants-live-on-tv-in-canada-2/

A taste from the past – Grant’s Best Procurable 

I am often asked what the best part of my job is. Travelling, meeting interesting people and cultures or working for an internationally recognised Scotch whisky may seem appropriate answers but the truth is that as a whisky enthusiast, the most enjoyable part of my job is being able to sample some of the world’s…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/08/grants-best-procurable-2/

The Best Grant’s Bars in the World 

I’m in Paris at the moment to meet with a few journalists at our Charles De Gaulle shop and whilst working in my hotel room last night, I started wondering about where to go for a drink.

I have been to Paris many times but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t remember a good…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/02/the-best-grants-bars-in-the-world-2/

Grant’s Real DIY Stories 

Today, I would like to make you aware of a competition that’s being held for a second year in the United States. Grant’s Real DIY Stories offers do it yourself enthusiasts the chance to win a home entertaining makeover worth $10,000.

This competition is only open to US residents, but I would encourage everyone to take…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/03/grants-real-diy-stories-2/

Grant’s on WhiskyCast

I met with Mark Gillespie from the world-famous WhiskyCast, while on a short visit to Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago. Now in its sixth year, the internet’s best whisky podcast comes to life a few miles outside Philly in ‘the charming yet regrettably dry town of Haddonfield’, as Mark so eloquently puts it….

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/03/grants-on-whiskycast-2/

A Taste from the Past – Grant’s 25 Year Old Character Jug

It seems many of you enjoyed my recent review of one of our old Royal Doulton decanters with over 1,000 of you ‘liking’ our Facebook post. I love social media sites in that respect, as they give me instant feedback on what our fans enjoy reading. And so, this week I have found another…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2012/08/a-taste-from-the-past-grants-25-year-old-character-jug/

Kind regards,

Ludo

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #34

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, launches a mini-series of 5 videos in which he explores independent bottlings of Auchentoshan. First up is the Auchentoshan 18 Year Old from The Maltman. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/fVn74l3T8L0

Whisky-Meet 2013 in Bergen, Norway

Thursday, February 14^th:  Arriving in Bergen for my second Whisky-Meet festival. Had some time before my only tasting this day, so I headed up to Henriks øl & vinstue, a bar I had heard good things about. Well, 40-something beers on tap, so I was not disappointed. Even if some of their taps were out of service this day, I still had a lot of good choices. As all good bars should have, they had some specially brewed beers just for them. The barkeeper told me more taps were on its way, so the selection of beers should be over 50 in a short time. Highly recommended place for any beer/ale geek.

Now it was time for more beer, as my only tasting for the day was the Kick-Off Tasting. This is a tasting always held on the day before the festival itself, and always contains just beer. This year it was beers from Brewdog and Ægir, presented by Josie and Vegard. Six beers were presented, Punk IPA, Libertine Black Ale and Dog A from Brewdog, and IPA, Ratatosk double IPA and Natt Imperial Porter from Ægir. All good beers…but since I had tasted five of them before, no real surprises here.

Called it a night….after some whiskies at the Terminus Whiskybar.

Friday, February 15^th: After some food and beer it was finally time for the real reason I was here…bring on the whisky! I realized I had booked so many tastings, that I had to make the best of the time I had available at the festival hall. This year Terminus, together with Adelphi, had bottled a special festival-whisky, a 15yo Clynelish, hand bottled by Mr. Frode Harring himself. A nice dram indeed, Clynelish seldom disappoints.

First tasting of the day was a Glendronach vertical, hosted by Stewart Buchanan. Seven drams were presented; 8yo Octarine, 12yo Original, 15yo Revival, 18yo Allardice, 21yo Parliament, 31yo Grandeur and the Cask Strength NAS. Glendronach remains one of my favorite distilleries, so it’s safe to say I really enjoyed myself! Stewart managed to hold a really informative lesson about the distillery and the whiskies, to no surprise. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think I have to pick the CS, fantastic stuff!

As a bonus this year, the festival put up an area only dedicated to beer, a nice touch I hope they will continue in the future. So after some beers, and more whiskies, it was time for yet another tasting-session…this time with some mixed expectations.

After keeping us waiting for half an hour, Jim Murray was ready to do his thing. Nine whiskies were presented for a blind tasting. Jim started off by calling the brand ambassadors present at the festival cynical liars, only interested in selling their whisky. Well Jim, how many times did you encourage us to by your book? He continued by telling us we do everything wrong while nosing and tasting whisky. But himself couldn’t tell the difference by two of the whiskies when the order was messed up a little, blaming the staff for putting their after-shave soaked fingers into his glasses. Why not use a chart with numbers to put the glasses on to keep track, it would make a much smoother tasting, without all this back and forth. I really like to have some water between my whiskies at a tasting, but for some reason Jim doesn’t allow that. I know he doesn’t like us to put water in the whisky, but if I want a glass of water on the side, what’s the problem? Ok, I will admit he has some good point about tasting whisky…but in its entirety, this was not my cup of tea.

Saturday, February 16^th: Got time for a couple of whiskies before my first tasting-session, so tried out the Taiwanese Kavlan…surprisingly good I have to say. Then it was time to taste some Glenfarclas Family Casks, with Robert Ransom. Glenfarclas also being one of my favorite distilleries, I really looked forward to this. Of all the tastings, this had the least amount of whisky, but what quality! We got to taste the 1982, 1981, 1972, 1971 and 1965 Family Casks….1972 and 1965 being my favorites. The tasting felt a bit short and rushed, and not as informative as Glendronach, but the quality of the whiskies made up for it.

A Benriach vertical tasting next, again with Stewart Buchanan. Being afraid he was boring us with all the details, but I think we all enjoyed his knowledge. Seven drams presented here, 12yo, 16yo, 20yo, 15yo PX Finish, 17yo Septendecim, 34yo Sauternes Finish and as a really nice bonus, a two day’s old new make. After two tastings with Stewart, I have to say this man knows his stuff, and held the two best tastings of the festival in my opinion.

Time for the last tasting of the weekend, Isle of Jura. I haven’t tasted that many Juras before, so I was quite curious on this one. Scott Milne guided us through the history of Jura and the distillery, and I must say…I really fancy going there. Fun fact for Paul; the Campbell’s of Jura were described as “a bunch of mean fuckers”. Six whiskies presented here, 10yo, Superstition, Prophecy, 1996 Boutique Barrel, 30yo Camas an Staca and 1977 vintage….the last one being my favorite and an absolutely stunning dram.

To sum it up…

Best tasting-session: Benriach

Best beer: Brewdog Dog A

Biggest surprise whisky: Kavlan Solist Sherry Cask

Most promising whisky: Glenglassaugh peated cask sample (at approx. 63% ABV and distilled in 2009, this was smooth as hell! Can’t wait for an official release)

Biggest mystery: How all that Chinese food got in my hotel room!?!

 -Ravn

Ravn is a member of www.angelswhiskyclub.com and lives in Norway. To see his report with pictures follow; http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/whiskymeet2013.asp

A message from Oliver at the Malt Maniacs world HQ in regards to their latest e-pistle….

“I am happy to announce the first E-pistle of the year. Jacob Krodel is one of our Facebook group regulars, and he has submitted an E-pistle about his experience of starting a whisky club in South Korea where he is currently stationed with the US Army. Nothing too geeky in here, but quite a good advertising to get involved with whisky.

http://www.maltmaniacs.net/E-pistles/Malt-Maniacs-2013-01-Whisky-Clubs.pdf

Cheers,

Olivrer”

Glenfarclas Whiskies      

Glenfarclas prides itself in being owned by the same family for the last 175 years as well as remaining fiercely independent, a rare combination these days in a world of global companies and spirit monopolies. Situated in the heart of Ballindalloch, 6 generations of the Grant family have led the distillery proudly through times both good and bad.  The Glenfarclas pot stills are still directly fired and have the original rummager chains in the base of the still to stop the wash from burning and creating a foul distillation. The warehouses currently hold around 52,000 maturing casks and annual production for 2013 stands to be 3,400,000 litres. They were also one of the first distilleries to open a dedicated visitor centre in 1973 and their tasting room is beautifully lined with wood from the ship RMS Empress of

Australia which was built in 1919. Glenfarclas is well known for its wonderful sherried expressions revealing flavours of cloves, vanilla and of course dried fruits. The core range consists of a 10 year old through to a 25 year old and in addition there are the family casks and historic bottling’s.

Buy ANY Glenfarclas 70cl bottle now and recieve a free Glenfarclas glass!

Jura 1977 vintage, 26 years old

Whyte & Mackay says this vintage takes its name from the Gaelic word for the Yew tree. Going back to its roots the Jura Vintage 1977 honours the Yew tree,or “Juar” in Gaelic, a conifer with ancient symbolic associations with … Continue reading →

Edradour’s Unique Finishing: Ingelheimer Frühburgunder

Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner, The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

The Perthshire distillery is known for its finishings in wine casks. Wine finishings are not always showing the results one really expects. However, Edradour’s recent bottlings from November 2012 are very remarkable indeed. They are excellent in their aromas and their taste.

Wine growers from Ingelheim sent French barriques to Edradour. Andrew Symington, owner and manager of the well visited distillery near Pitlochry, took advantage of the special German surprise offer. He knew the famous German wine growing region along the Rhine River as he had worked in the five-star hotel Nassauer Hof in Wiesbaden which is just fifteen miles from Ingelheim. Of course, the renowned red wine from Ingelheim was known to him.

In Ingelheim – a town which is strongly connected with Charlemagne – the red wine is made predominantly from Pinot noir grapes.  But there is also a special grape which is called in German Frühburgunder (literally translated „early Pinot noir“ or in French „Pinot noir précoce“). This commonly  and widely unknown grape is usually ripening a fortnight earlier than the traditional Pinot noir grapes.  Frühburgunder vineyards cover only 0,2% of the total area under vines cultivated in Germany.

This very rare wine can be desribed as very velvetly in texture with a deep red colour having strong aromas of blackcurrants and other dark fruit.

Klaus and Matthias Singer-Fischer – the latter is a whisky enthusiat himself – sent three traditional French barriques (two of 225 litres and one of 228 litres) to the Perthshire farm distillery. The casks came originally from the famous French cooperages  Vernou in Cognac and Francois Frères in Burgundy. They held for four years Frühburgunder and Pinot noir  from the renowned Ingelheim vineyard site Heilighäuschen. In September 2010 they were emptied and sent straight away – without any cleaning – to Edradour. Immediately after arrival Andrew Symington filled the barriques with an unpeated Edradour malt whisky which had previously matured for nine years in first-fill Bourbon casks. After 24 months of second maturation the whiskies were bottled in two versions,  two at natural cask strength and one reduced to 46% abv. It was Andrew Symington who decided upon the length of the second maturation.

The labels are absolutely unique in the Scottish whisky industry as they present the Scottish whisky maker and the German wine maker in a equal partnership.  The label on the back is written in English and in German to explain this very special partnership. The bottles are sold either at the distillery or at the German wine-growing estate. There, the each whisky will be accompanied by two bottles of red wine which had previously matured in the two barriques made of French oak and one of American oak.

Information about Edradour

Edradour is one of the smallest commercial distilleries in Scotland – the smallest, however, is Loch Ewe Distillery near Gairloch. It is the only surviving farm distillery in Perthshire and owned by the well-known independent bottler Andrew Symington. The idyllic picturesque setting is an ideal location where the King‘s Royal, a drama series of a Scottish distilling family was filmed. No wonder Edradour is well visited by coach parties passing the tourist hot spot Pitlochry in the Highlands.  Since 2002 the new owner has improved the site, renovated the buildings, built a new visitor centre and a new warehouse (2011).

Alfred Barnard toured the Scottish distilleries between 1885 and 1887. His description of 1887 is still true today: „The Distillery, which was built in 1837, is situated at the root of a steep hill on the road side, and consists of a few ancient buildings not unlike a farmstead, past which flows one of the most rampant and brawling streams in the district. On either side of this river, heather in rich abundance hangs from the banks and jutting corners of the rocks, and there is water power sufficient to drive several water-wheels. The works consist of a Barley Barn, Malting House, and Mill, all in one building. The Mash Tun has a capacity of 1,000 gallons, and there are four Washbacks holding the same quantity. The Still House is across the yard, and contains a Wash Still and a Low-wines Still, the farmer holding 740 and the latter 420 gallons, there are three Warehouses, a Spirit Store and small cask shed, and at the end of the yard a cart-shed, stable, and same outhouses.“ (Alfred Barnard. The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom. London, 1887.)

Edradour Malt in form of the Blended Whisky King‘s Ransom was also on its way to America on the famous S.S. Politician which sank off the shore of the Hebredian Isle of Eriskay in 1941. The film Whisky Galore made this historic event unforgetable.

The annual production is about 90.000 litres of spirit. Almost 95% goes into single malt bottling. Some casks are also warehoused at BenRiach Distillery, near Elgin. There is also a modern bottling hall.

Ballechin is the peated expression of Edradour, first produced by the then Distillery Manager Iain Henderson (formerly Manager of Laphroaig Distillery) in 2003.

The Edradour-Ingelheim-Wine-Finishings can obtained either at the

Wine-Growing Estate Singer-Fischer

www.singer-fischer.de, Telephone ++49 6132 944000

or at the

Edradour Distillery Shop

www.edradour.co.uk, Telephone: ++44 1796 472095

About the Author: Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner M.A. was a director in an adult education centre. Ernie offers courses on whisky distilling, writes for newspapers and magazines in Germany.

He is the editor of The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

which gives an excellent photographic and educational insight into the whisky industry of Scotland, Ireland, Europe and Asia.  Photos copyright by Ernst J. Scheiner 2013.

Please see also: http://www.whisky-distillery.net/www.whisky-distilleries.net/Highland/Seiten/Edradour.html

Makers Missed the Mark.
Don’t miss your chance to grab this COLLECTABLE BOTTLE.

If you missed this story, here’s what happened. Maker’s Mark announced that they would lower the alcohol of their beloved bourbon from 90 to 84 proof. It took less than a week for public outrage to reach such a fervor that they doubled back on their decision, promising to stick with the original recipe. We don’t mean to wax poetic, but this may be one of the biggest beverage missteps since New Coke. One that will leave its mark on the industry for generations.

That makes the low proof Maker’s Mark an instant collector’s item for whiskey enthusiasts.

The distillery is busy reclaiming cases from wholesalers, but we’re holding our allocation for you. We want to offer you the chance to buy this bottle of history. Remember, it’s a limited product, production had a life measured in hours instead of days or weeks. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Available In-Store Only!